Memories can be selective and deceiving

- Beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage - Deuteronomy 6:12

This is the warning the Lord our God gave to the children of Israel when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. Yet, they forgot. They forgot the plagues that God had brought upon Egypt. They forgot how he had spared their sons when all the firstborn in Egypt died. A whole generation lost faith in the desert and died; never seeing the promised land.

The great, “I Am”, had promised his people that he would lead them into a land that flowed with milk and honey. A land that was blessed by God and fruitful. It was theirs because God was giving it to them. The Lord would lead the way. All they had to do was trust in him and follow the cloud that gave them shade during the day and the pillar of fire that gave them light at night.

It was three days after the splitting of the Red Sea when the Israel began to complain. They lost faith because they forgot. They forgot how God had given signs and wonders. They forgot how, three days earlier, the Red Sea had parted and they had walked through on dry land.

They knew what was in front of their face. It had been three days in the desert and now they had no food or water. What they saw and felt with their senses seemed more real than the memory of the God who had brought them there.

Faith takes hold on the reality of who we know God to be. Faith overrides the deceit of what the situation appears to be. Remembrance of who God is, and what He has done already, is the foundation for the faith you need today.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb.11:1

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat ..."

Gathering manna on the desert | Source

The children of Israel on the desert are an image of the gentile church.

A generation of people died on the desert because they forgot. They Lord dealt with them time and time again. He split the rock and it gave water in the desert. He fed them with manna and meat. Even the shoes on their feet did not wear out. This they forgot.

They did not remember the Lord, but they did remember some things. Their memories seemed crystal clear. What was it they remembered? It was not reality. Reality is; they were slaves in bondage crying out for deliverance under brutal oppression. What they remembered instead was the garlic and onions, the melons and the cucumbers. This is what they longed for. Their memory was a delusion. A delusion of a reality that never existed.

Do you yearn for the things of the world or the things of God? Do you relish in the life you had before Christ or covet closeness to the Savior?

King David wrote, As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.Psalm 42:1 The Savior is looking for his sheep to have this heart.

The day YOU came out of Egypt

Think right now of the times you have felt the Lord the closest. Remember the day he saved you. Remember the joy of His Holy Spirit. Think of when he spared your life or the life of a loved one. The time you asked for a sign and he gave it to you, or when he healed you, or allowed the doctors to find something in time. Remember these things. This is your personal vault of faith that you must go to daily.

As believers we all have our desert. You must use the resources we are given. We must put on the armor of God. It begins with what you remember.

Arm yourself with your personal arsenal and add to it daily with God's word. Just as the children in the desert had to gather manna to eat every morning, you must go to Scriptures and eat daily. This is the manna that nourishes your faith. Without the word you will die, (and you may not even know you are dead.) Read the testimonies of David and the prophets. Read the promises. Read of God's judgement. Separate yourself from the uncleanness of sin. Get to know the Lord intimately. Share your faith. You will begin to understand the holy fear his prophets had and the joy and peace that comes with it. Nothing compares to the closeness that comes with consecration and consecration is what God desires.

I heard a pastor say, "God did not call you to be happy, He called you to be holy." I say, "Amen!" With consecration comes joy, not the flighty passing happiness of temporal things that pass quickly away, but a peace in your soul that goes beyond what words can explain.

Remember Lot’s Wife!

“Remember Lot’s wife.“, Jesus gave this stern warning not to the unbeliever, but to his disciples. If you truly belong to Christ; “set your affections above where Christ sits on the right hand of God.”

If you love the world you do not love Christ.

Lot’s wife had a heart that loved the world.

Lot's wife had forgotten the Lord. She was one who had come into the promised land with Abraham. Even as one of the four people being saved from destruction. Even being led by angels to safety; she still remembered Sodom with fondness. The price for her delusion was her eternal soul.

Lot's wife is held up as an eternal example of the worldly Christian. A Christian who loves the world is an idolater. James the Apostle called these Christians adulterers.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

Faith is not presumption. Lot's wife presumed she was saved. It did not matter that the Angel, who had led them out of Sodom, gave them the command to not look back. Surely she thought, "one last fond look could not hurt."

Disobedience was not born in her heart on that day. Stubbornness and rebellion grow as weeds in the garden of the heart. A small justification here, and another there. Simply because judgement does not come immediately, man's heart tends to think it never will. God in his mercy may deal long with us but we must learn and grow and not harden our hearts. Turn when you feel the tug of conviction; remember the Lord. Do not take that last longing look at sin.

Lot departs from Sodom

Source

Remember this.

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. John 6:29

Never, never, never, give up. If you are thirsting in the desert - Speak to the Rock. If you are bit by serpents - Find a place where you can see the one who took your curse. Bitter waters - He will make sweet. Hungry souls - He will feed to the full. Do not forget who He is. Do not limit His power. Nothing is to hard for the Lord. Remember this. Remember the Lord, the Mighty God of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, and our risen Savior Jesus Christ.

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

Be the one that the Lord shows himself strong for! Stand with boldness for Christ our King. As darkness envelopes the earth, be the candle God puts on the candlestick.

Remember the Lord, and He will remember you

This is the wonderful promise our God gives to those who remember Him:

Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. Malachi 3:16

Sinner come to the cross.

If you have come across this page and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can. You can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The plan of salvation is simple:

We have all sinned.

There is certain judgement for sin.

We are not able to save ourselves

God loved the world so much, He sent his only begotten Son to die in our place.

If we come to him he will save us.

If you want to be saved say this prayer to God and mean it with all your heart and God will save you:

My Lord and my God, have mercy on my soul because I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross and shed his blood for my sins. I believe that God the Father rose Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost. Come and live inside my heart Lord Jesus. I accept you as my Savior and I commit myself to you. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me.

Comments

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sending

A brother 2 years ago

I hope this reaches many souls.

Author

talford 5 years agofrom U.S.A.

Thank you.

Devika Primić 5 years agofrom Dubrovnik, Croatia

I found this Hub to an interesting one thanks

Tracy711 5 years ago

very informative and interesting hub. all true and good not to forget. love people and use things but now people love things and use people. not all but some..I don't care about material things only all people and God..he is my father.

Author

talford 5 years agofrom U.S.A.

Thank you so much.

Prossylink 5 years agofrom Nairobi

Hallo,

Thank you for the insightful message. I pray that it will touch many souls.

May God bless you and your readers too.

Rina Pinto 5 years agofrom Dubai - UAE

Blessed is he who comes with the message of God & in the name of Jesus His only Son to His people here on earth.. So happy to meet a man of God Talford! May the Lord God Yahweh continue to be with you and lead you to His people whom He has called to gather(Wheat) into His barn! Mathew 13:30.. Amen! Truly He is our God forever & eternally! As for me and my family, we will dwell in the House of the Lord for Ever.. This should be our desire and prayer unceasingly ! God Bless you dear Brother in Jesus Christ! May the Good Lord continue to use you and bless every one who hears you with the Same Holy Spirit that dwells in U & Me through His Son Lord Jesus Christ!!!

Author

talford 5 years agofrom U.S.A.

Thank you Yvette.

your brother, Tom

YvetteParker 5 years agofrom AUGUSTA, GA

What a powerful message, Talford. It really caused me to reflect on how easy it is for me to forget what I should remember and remember what I should forget! Father, forgive me! Thanks so much for sharing.